Saddle.



PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906.

E. M. TURNER.

SADDLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17.1905.

wltnesaea nvenbor: BY H W2 flow/a9 TT'Y'a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SADDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed July 17, 1905. Serial No. 269,922.

To all 10/1/1712 [6 may concern:

Be it known that I, EPI-IRAIM M. TURNER, a gitizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Saddles, of which the following is a specification.

iiy invention relates to saddles, and more especially to the stirrups thereof and supports for the same.

It has for its principal objects to mount a stirrup so that it shall stand in the proper position to receive the foot of the rider, to avoid twisting the stirrup strap or leather when the foot of the rider is in the stirrup, to permit oscillation of the stirrup in planes at right angles to each other, to provide a check to prevent the swing of the stirrup forwardly with respect to the stirrup strap or leather while permitting a rearward swing of the stirrup, to provide a coupling member capable of application to any desired stirrup and stirrupleather, to provide a coupling member which shall also serve as an instep-bearing, and other objects hereinafter more fully appearmg.

My invention consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and wherein like'symbo is refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the stirrupleather, coupling member, and stirrup assembled. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the coupling member, the leather cover beingremoved and Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. 2, showing only the metallic portion of the coupling member, the leather lining of the bearing being removed.

The common practice in saddle construction is to mount the stirrup-leathers in the saddle with their planes parallel with the saddle-skirt and the side of the horse when the saddle is in use. The stirrup-leathers are commonly turned on themselves, forming a loop in which the bar of the stirrup rests. This throws the stirrup naturally at substantially right angles to the position it must be forced to assume when the foot of the rider is inserted. Consequently when the foot of the rider is in the stirrup the stirrup-leathers are twisted. This objectionable feature is obviated by the present invention, and at the same time many other advantages result.

To illustrate the invention, an embodiment thereof has been selected which shows a substantially pear-shaped stirrup 1, having a wooden tread 2, secured therein by lugs 3 and 4. The frame of the stirrup is substantially oval in cross-section and is covered with leather. The frame comprises an integral supporting bar 5 of the same cross-section as the remainder of the frame. I/Vhile such a stirrup has been shown, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to this or any other specific stirrup.

Between the stirrup 1 and the stirrupleather a coupling member is arranged. This coupling member is made in a single piece of metal and comprises a curved lower plate or body portion 7, which is provided with an open bearing 8 to receive the bar 5 of the stirrup. Short bars 9 10 extend inwardly from the ends of the plate 7. These bars eX- tend toward each other; but their inner ends are so far separated as to permit the passage of the stirrup-bar between them. Each of the bars 9 10 consists of separated members connected at their ends and is thus much stronger than if the same amount of metal were formed into a single bar. At each side of the bearing 8 are pins or projections 11 12, which extend upwardly in divergent directions. A leather cover 13 is provided for said bearing to obviate the noise which the metallic bar would make if in contact with the metal bearing. Said leather cover is turned over the ends and the sides of the hearing and is pierced by the pins 11 12. It is thus securely held in place. A leather 14 also extends under the curved plate 7 and is secured by laces at each end.

The stirrup-leather 15 is looped around the bars 9 10 of the coupling member. When said leather is narrower than the space be tween the ends of the plate 7, as in the construction chosen for illustration, a spacingleather 16 may be arranged inside of the loop of the stirrup-leather.

The sides of the stirrup-frame extend above the bar 5 thereof. To these ends a lace 17 is connected and is passed through the bar 9 of the coupling member. The lace is tied so that it will be taut when the stirrup hangs in vertical alinement with the stirrupleather. Then when the bottom of the stirrup is pushed forwardly, as when the rider is putting his foot in the stirrup, the stirrup will not turn on the bar 5 and swing with respect to the stirrup-leather, but the stirrupleather must swing with it if it swings at all.

This prevents the annoying swinging of the stirru out of the vertical plane when the rider is attempting to insert his foot in the stirrup. By the use of the above-described coupling member the stirrup stands normally at right an les to the plane of thestirrupleather, an the latter is not twisted when the foot of the rider is in the stirrup. The stirrup is permitted to oscillate in the plane of the stirrup-leather and in a plane at right angles thereto, a feature that is advantageous in mounting from the ground. The bearing of the coupling member for the stirrup-bar being near the rear end thereof, said rear end projects just far enough and is of such shape as to constitute an instep-bearing. If the foot of the rider should slip from the stirrup, the stirrup does not turn, as it would if mounted in the customary manner, but remains in proper position to receive the foot. The coupling member herein disclosed may be manufactured and sold separately from the remainder of the combination and supplied to manufacturers and users of saddles and dealers in saddles for application to existing saddles. The coupling members may be applied without altering the original stirrup-leather or the original stirrup.

Obviously the device is capable of considerable modification within the scope of my invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the specific construction shown and described. For example, instead of the separated bars 9 10 ofthe coupling member a removable bolt may be substituted, if desired.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

'1. A coupling member, for stirrups and stirrup-leathers, consisting of a single piece of metal having means integral therewith by which to suspend it from the stirrup-leather and having an upwardly-opening bearing substantially at right angles to said suspending means to receive the suspending-bar of a stirrup.

2. A coupling member for the purpose specified comprising a curved plate provided with an open bearing to receive the suspending-bar of a stirrup and having short bars extending inwardly from the ends of the plate toward each other by which to suspend said member from a stirrup-leather.

3. A coupling member for stirrups and stirrup-leathers comprising a body portion having an upwardly-open bearing extending longitudinally thereof and bars extending 4. The combination with a stirrupleather,

of a coupling member having bars extending toward each other and engaging said stirrupleather and a bearing substantially at right angles to said bars, and a stirrup having a bar seated in said bearing, the adjacent ends of said bars of said coupling member being separated by a distance sufficient to permit the passage therebetween of said bar of said stirrup. a v f 5. The combination with a stirrup-leather, of a coupling member having engagemer with said stirrup-leather and a bearing sub stantially at right angles to the plane of said stirrup leather, a stirrup having a bar seated in said bearing and a lace connected to said stirrup near the upper end thereof and to the front portion of said coupling member and arranged to be held taut when said stirrup hangs in line with said stirrup-leather.

6. The combination with a stirrupleather, of a coupling member having bars extending toward each other and engaging said stirrupleather, the'adjacent ends of said bars being separated, a bearing substantially at right angles to said bars, a stirrup having a bar seated in said bearing and a lace connected to said stirrup near the upper end thereof and passing through the separated bar at the front of the coupling member for the purpose set forth.

7. A coupling member for stirrups and stirrup-leathers comprising a body portion provided with a bearing or seat and bars extending inwardly toward each other from the ends of said body portion and transversely to said bearing or seat, the adjacent ends of said bars being separated.

8. A coupling member for stirrups and stirrup-leathers comprising a body portion provided with a bearing or seat, projections upon opposite sides of said bearing or seat, a non-metallic lining for said bearing or seat engaged by said projections, and a bar 'extending transversely to said hearing or seat.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 15th day of J uly, 1905, at St. Louis, Missouri.

Witnesses:

FRED F. REISNER, J. B. MEGowN.

EPHRAIM M. TURNER. i 

